Post-office-box cabinet



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. C. KEITH..

POST-OFFICE B0X CABINET.

Patented June 28,1898.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. C. KEITH. POST-OFFICE BOX CABINET.

, NO- 606,556'. Patntea June 28 1898.

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UNITED STATI-is PATENT OFFICE.

I .mooi-3pc. KEITH, oF-ELLwooD CITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

POST-OFFICE-BOX CABINET.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 606,556, dated June28, 1898.

Application filed September 8, 1897. Serial No. 650,914. (No model.)

To all whom it may con/cern.-

Beit known that LJACOB C. KEITH, residing at Ellwood City, in the countyof Lawrence and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new andnsefulImprovement in Post-Ofice-Box Cabinets, of lwhich the following is aspecification. K

My invention is an improvement in postoffice-box cabinets and seeks toprovide a simple and novel construction by which the boxdoors may beopened from a keyboard under the control 'of the post-oflice ofiicial ormay be opened by a proper manipulation of the lock by the holder of thebox, the purpose being to put the box under the control of the party whorents it and yet permit the box to be easily opened for vsuch party incase he should nothave the key of the lock or, when combination-locksare used, in case such party should forget the combination.

The invention consists, in connection with a box-door, of means by whichthe holder of the box may release the bolt of such door, together withcatches for engagement by the bolt, and a keyboard and means operatedtherefrom for freeing the catch and bolts from engagement.

The invention consists, further, in certain novel constructions andcombinations of parts, as will be-hereinafter described, and' pointedout in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure lis a perspective View, partly broken away, of a cabinetconstructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail perspectiveview of the keys and connections. Fig. 3 is a partial rear elevation ofthe cabinet. Fig. 4 is a detail horizontal section of one of the boxes,and Fig. 5 is a detail view. In carrying out my'invention I make thecabinet with a case A, which receives the boxes B, the latter beingarranged in vertical tiers and the boxes constituting each tier beingformed together, so all the' boxes of any tier may be removed at thesame time for the purpose of making any slight repairs or adjustmentsthat may be necessary from time to time. Each box has a door C, hingedat D, a spring E being arranged to automatically open the door whenreleased. On the door I erated or may be arranged for operation by mitsaccess to the box by the holder without necessitating any action on thepart of the post-office officials. In order, however, that the door maybe released by such ofiicial from a suitable keyboard, I arrange thecatch G to be forced out of engagement with the bolt F, and to such endpivot the'catch G at'g and provide a spring g', which operates to drawthe catch into engagement with thebolt F and permit its being forced outof such engagement. To depress the catch and so release it fromengagement with the bolt to release the door, I provide a wire orconnection H, secured'at its upper end to the catch G and at its lowerend to one arln ofla bellcrank lever I, which is actuated in onedirection by a spring J and in the other direction by a wire or cord K,which leads over a suitable guide-pulley L and connects with itsrespective key-lever M.

It will be noticed 'that the key-levers are arranged in vertical tierscorresponding to the tiers of boxes whose doors are released by saidkey-levers, and when it is desired for the postoflice official to openany particular box it is only necessary for him to depress the key-levercorresponding to said box, which will immediately eifectthe depressionof the catch G of such box, whose door will then be automatically openedby its spring E. After the holder of the box has removed his mail heWill close the door, the same being automatically locked by the movementof its bolt into engagement with its catch G.

By my invention itwill be seen I'provide, in connection with a keyboardand the doors of a series of post-office boxes, mechanicallyoperatingmeans by which the doors may be released from such keyboard, so theseveral doors may be under the control of the postoffice attendant.

Having thusdescribed myinvention, what I claim isl. The improvement inpost-office cabinets herein described comprising the post-officeboxdoors, lock-bolts therefor,means by which IOO the holders of the boxesmay release the bolts, catches or seats for engagement by thebolts, tkeyboard and means operated therefrom under the control of the ofeialfor freeing the eateh and bolt from engagement, subbell-era-nk lever,connections between said 1o lever and the eateh, connections between thelever and the keyboard and guides for the latterConnections,substantiallyas described.

l '1 f strtntially as described. JACOL L' BEI l H' 2. The combination ofthe post-ofliee-box l XVtnesses: door, the look thereon having :L bolt,t enteh FREDERICK E. PAISTER,

for engagement by said bolt, :L keyboard, :L XV. J. LYONS.

